Upper Wapsi Watershed Open Houses
Residents and landowners in the Upper Wapsi Watershed are invited to a series of Public Meeting Open Houses. Who might want to come? Anyone who is interested in... Keeping communities and landowners in the Upper Wapsi protected from flooding. Sustaining clean water. Learning about urban conservation practices that can beautify communities and help better manage stormwater [...]
Rain Gardens: Beautiful and Beneficial
Rain gardens utilize good soil and deep-rooted plants to infiltrate runoff from a smaller area, such as a roof, driveway, or a section of street or parking lot. Often rain gardens are beautifully landscaped with brightly colored flowers that attract butterflies and other pollinators. Properly constructed rain gardens are in the natural path of runoff and [...]
Presidential disaster declared following July flooding
Areas of the Upper Wapsi Watershed experienced severe flash flooding in July, prompting a presidential disaster declaration. Check out the video, shared by Bremer County Emergency Management, of flooding in the community of Sumner.
Water Sampling in the Upper Wapsi
Elaine Hughes prepares to draw samples from Buffalo Creek near Quasqueton. A couple of times a month, volunteers collect water samples from streams, creeks and the Wapsipinicon River. Samples are sent to Coe College, where they are tested for nitrates, phosphorous, chlorine, sulfate and total suspended solids. Monitoring is a critical component of improving [...]
Spring Flooding in the Upper Wapsipinicon Watershed
The Plum Creek Bike & Nature Trail was under water on Easter Sunday. Heavy spring rains contributed to sodden fields, washed-out bridges and overflowing creeks in the Upper Wapsipinicon watershed over the weekend. Together the partners in the Upper Wapsi WMA are creating a plan to reduce the risk of flooding in the watershed.
The Daily Erosion Project
The Daily Erosion Project (DEP) estimates precipitation, runoff, sheet and rill erosion, and hillslope delivery in near real time, on over 2000 watersheds in the Midwest (Figure 1). It does this by running the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model with a combination of remotely-sensed precipitation weather stations, remotely-sensed crop and residue cover, remotely-sensed topography, and [...]
The Upper Wapsi Watershed Management Authority
The Upper Wapsi Watershed Management Authority is currently signing up entities that would like to join. Watershed Management Authorities form under a 28E agreement authorized by Iowa code. Entities eligible to join a WMA are County boards of supervisors, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and communities that lie on or within the watershed boundary. There is [...]